How To Be A Fashion Bride: Laurel Pantin Models the New Looks

The bridal shopping struggle is real. And, for a fashion girl, so real in fact that you might just find yourself purchasing multiple looks online in the weeks leading up to your wedding. That's after you've purchased a Monique Lhuillier ballgown, a vintage Calvin Klein cocktail dress and a Viktor + Rolf sheath on an impromptu Say Yes to the Dress shopping moment at Kleinfeld that was originally more intended for the laughs than it was for actual dress purchasing. Then last week, after finally deciding against the perfectly crafted Delpozo dress sitting in your Farfetch.com shopping cart, you snagged one last look: a killer Altuzarra sheath that changed it all. It's not that you haven't found anything you like–quite the contrary; you love it all, want it all, and have managed to orchestrate a wedding weekend where you may just be able to wear it all (like a Tex Mex welcome meal, a BBQ rehearsal dinner at a Honky Tok complete with line dancing, an outdoor ceremony and a super-fun reception) without looking like the bridal version of The Emperor's New Clothes.

This far cry from the standard shopping experience was exactly what happened when Laurel Pantin, street style photographer favorite, fashion editor and newly dubbed editorial director at The Coveteur became a bride-to-be. She shopped from the moment she got engaged, until about a week ago. "I want to feel really cool, and different and fun but then I also want to feel unique and like I was doing something off the beaten path, but then I also want to feel like a gorgeous princess," Pantin explained in between costume changes on set. After a year of shopping, she will likely end up wearing four of the five looks she's garnered over her year of dress shopping, even after "spiraling out of control" again three weeks ago and adding another dress to her roster. "I think my looks really round out all the different sides to my personality and the different things that I was hoping to express through my clothes at my wedding–the fashion-y part, the romantic, pretty girl and then just...disco garbage."

Laurel's not alone, fashion chameleons struggle with finding their bridal personality amidst all their fashion ones all to often. We teamed up with Laurel days before her wedding (she'll be walking down the aisle this weekend in Austin) armed with racks of Fall 2016 runway looks, a few key pieces from the Spring 2017 bridal shows, Putnam & Putnam flowers and the married duo behind Ann Street Studio, Jamie Beck and Kevin Burg, to tap into her many bridal personalities.

"From the waist down, this is very fairy-tale princess but from the waist-up it's very Like a Virgin–it's a full on lingerie-style corset. Wearing this was incredible; it took a team of four people to help me with my train. But, to sit on a tuffet wearing it, it's pretty perfect. It makes your body look incredible–nothing makes your waist look smaller than what could be 50 lbs of tulle."

"This was one of my favorites. I would wear this anywhere, all the time, I'm obsessed with it–something about it just drives me crazy. I love anything with fringe and that when you twirl, it's a little bit revealing and so there are subtle sexy things about it even though the shape isn't super [form fitting]. As soon as I put it on and looked in the mirror, I had a 'Eureka!' moment...it got close to making me consider changing my plans for what I am planning to wear at this point."

"This is just so chic and so luxe looking–nobody at your party would feel comfortable talking to you because you would just look so unbelievably cool in this outfit–but in the best way. If you want to wear something where all of your guests will leave talking about how amazing you look and how incredible your outfit was, this is the thing to choose."

"I think this look is very Austin, but there's not really any part of me that's boho–I'm more of a glitter maximalist. There's a side of me that's a bit of a hippie, but not a romantic hippie. This feels very Austin to me–very laid-back, I'm more aesthetically like Dallas or Houston. I loved wearing this dress even though it doesn't really feel like me, but I would style it with sparkly pointy shoes and keep my hair really big and curly with some gold hoops–not like a barefoot bride or a dainty flower child."

"I think if you're going to wear a color like this and take a risk than it has to be a really stunning dress–which this is. I love the embroidery details and the color is a little muted, so I would even think about wearing a white slip underneath to give it that brightness. This feels very much like a romantic, English countryside wedding; it looks so stunning against greenery that I would only imagine wearing it outdoors."

"Imagine how happy it would make a classroom of kindergarteners if you were to show up at a school dressed in this outfit?! It's so fun–I felt like the fashion version of the women that dress up as Cinderella professionally. I mean, I would wear this dress anywhere; could you imagine just casually taking this dress with you to the gym and changing into it after a work out…?"

"In order to wear this to your wedding, I'd say you'd probably need to spend 6-10 months leading up to it training with the rockettes and perform at the reception while wearing it. You have to do some high kicks in this outfit."

"This is the sort of dress that you buy and it's going to be the most beautiful dress that 99% of the people at your wedding have ever seen in their entire lives. If you just want to be romantic, feminine, soft and angelic this is definitely the dress. I will probably be wearing a Monique Lhuillier on my wedding day for the briefest of moments, and I will most likely pair it with a crown."

"This is a fairy tale gown in a non-traditional way. It reminds me of Little Miss Muffet, but it's also just so effortless and cool. I loved this choker with it, too. It's definitely interesting to have a minimalist chic looking hoop skirt moment instead of a really full, big ball gown."

"I think that if you were getting married on the beach this would be a really great alternative to that whisper-thin, gossamer, white sheath. To me, it's so mermaid-y that it would be really cool for a seaside ceremony; with the wave-like embroidery and the sheer elements...you could totally be a mermaid in this dress."

"I am obsessed with Delpozo, period. I almost bought one myself...the internet is not your friend when you're getting married in a lot of ways; it's so difficult to fall in love with what you've already purchased when you're constantly falling in love with new things all the time. I would suggest shopping eight months out, but I started about a year out. With that said, this is the probably least stressful thing to wear, just because that tulle is just so soft. If you want to be a beautiful fashion girl, Delpozo is the answer."

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